Pistons won't spend big on a backup to Prince

The Pistons and Will Bynum tied up loose ends on Bynum’s contract on Thursday, which takes the roster to 12 players still pending decisions by Theo Ratliff and Lindsey Hunter on their returns for one more go-around.

Assuming both veterans decide to come back, that would leave the Pistons with only one more roster spot, which they’ll use to address the situation at backup small forward behind Tayshaun Prince.

Right now, the leader in the clubhouse is probably Walter Herrmann. The Pistons liked what they saw from Herrmann last season. Though ex-coach Flip Saunders thought Herrmann was better suited to playing power forward because of the mismatches he could create with his ability to shoot from 3-point range and put the ball on the floor, the Pistons think he can defend adequately enough to warrant minutes behind Prince.

But the reality is that the Pistons – at least as presently constituted – might not have a full-fledged backup role available for whoever they add to the roster at that position. The emergence of second-year guards Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo, combined with Rip Hamilton’s proven ability to defend even elite small forwards, gives Michael Curry a wealth of combination options.

Stuckey is probably going to get 30 minutes a game next season – but it’s not very likely his additional minutes are going to come at the expense of All-Star guards Hamilton and Chauncey Billups. The most logical way to make room for Stuckey’s expanded role is to use Hamilton more frequently as Prince’s backup when he’s not manning his own position at shooting guard.

At the three perimeter positions – point guard, shooting guard and small forward – the Pistons have four bona fide starters, plus Afflalo, who’s also in line for a greater role this season and is a clear favorite of Curry’s. There are 144 minutes of playing time available per game at those three positions. If Hamilton and Prince get 35 minutes apiece, that leaves 74 to split up among Billups, Stuckey and Afflalo. If Billups and Stuckey took 30 apiece, that would leave 14 for Afflalo.

None of those numbers are excessive, either – and we haven’t allotted one minute of playing time for whoever winds up being signed as another backup small forward candidate.

And that’s why the Pistons politely backed out of the bidding for players like James Posey, Mickael Pietrus and James Jones, all of whom signed for deals in excess of $4 million a year. Just because a team has the ability to use its full mid-level exception doesn’t mean it should. Unless you have a role available worthy of a $5.6 million first-year salary, escalating by 8 percent annually every season, you’ll quickly hamstring your roster flexibility by overpaying mediocre talent.

Ask the Cleveland Cavaliers, still regretting the deals they gave journeymen like Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones and Ira Newble. Two years ago, Joe Dumars gave Nazr Mohammed a full mid-level deal. He took some heat for that one, but step back and take another look at it: He got someone who was his starting center, not a backup with a limited role available, until another option – Chris Webber – came along, and less than 1½ seasons into the contract he found another team willing to take it off of his hands. In other words, that wasn’t even close to a desperation signing.

• Coming from Sacramento this week was a report that the Pistons were pursuing Ron Artest of the Kings. Don’t hold your breath. Joe Dumars has carefully crafted a healthy locker room environment. He’ll roll the dice occasionally on players that others, at least, view skeptically from a character standpoint. But Artest? It’s highly unlikely the Pistons would go there.

• The Pistons hope to have European destinations settled within a week or so for the two second-rounders who’ll play overseas, Trent Plaisted and Deron Washington. Plaisted is likely to wind up in Italy and Washington in either Spain or Italy, Pistons vice president Scott Perry told me Thursday.

• Rodney Stuckey reportedly played very well for the U.S. Select Team as its week of practice against the U.S. Olympic team wound down. Stuckey played off the ball, curiously enough, as Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless took turns at the point, struggling to get the ball up court against the Olympic team.

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